Happy Tails Dog Training

24/04/2025

Hey there!

Apologies for not being able to load the website, we have some really exciting things happening behind the scenes which is taking more time than we thought!

If you have any questions, enquiries or you would simply like to make a booking at one of our awesome puppy classes or nosework class please feel free to message the page and we will get back to you as soon as possible

Will update the page once the website is live again ❤️

Thank you for your time and paitence ☺️

Yours truly
The Happy Tails Dog Training Team 🐾

15/04/2025

Register online @ www.happytailsdogtraining.co.nz

23/03/2025

Hi Everyone I am Karen Douglas the New Owner of Happy Tails Dog Training. I am just touching base to let you all know I look forward to meeting you and your fur babies. My experience with training dogs is extensive. I have a background of 10 years of grooming dogs (Awesome Pawsome Grooming). I am also the first in the world to become a K9 Practioner of Contact Care Flinchlock. I have a passion for all dogs whether it be grooming, training, flinchlock, or showing dogs. I have done all of the Happy Tails courses and look forward to teaching you all the force-free ways to train our babies. Due to not being able to secure premises, I will be offering one-on-one puppy training, there won't be classes until I find suitable premises. With noise work, I will have to put it on hold for 3-6 months, Unless you wish to do one-on-one. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

15/03/2025

A Heartfelt Goodbye and Thank You

After a decade of running Happy Tails Dog Training, I have made the bittersweet decision to retire and to find new challenges and adventures. Since 2014, it has been an absolute privilege to work as a professional accredited dog trainer and animal behaviour consultant, helping so many wonderful dogs and their guardians.

To my clients, followers, and supporters—thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting me with your beloved dogs and for embracing my force-free, science-based, dog-friendly approach. I have loved watching you discover how much joy and ease comes from training with kindness and understanding. Seeing your dogs learn, grow in confidence, and flourish in their relationships with you has been the most rewarding experience. From shy little puppies blossoming into social butterflies to reactive dogs learning to navigate the world with trust, every success has brought me immense joy.

I hope that, through our work together, I have helped you gain even a small insight that makes life with your dog more enjoyable. And for my part, I have been lucky enough to learn something new with every training session and consultation—something I will always cherish.

I will miss my work tremendously, but I step away with a heart full of gratitude. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey. Wishing you and your dogs a lifetime of happiness, understanding, and tail wags!

With warmest regards,
Angelika Cawte, Happy Tails Dog Training, with my ‘crew’ Buzz and Yogi, and of course my trusty ‘Puppy Class Assistant’ Christophe Karen Douglas is taking over Happy Tails Dog Training. She will introduce herself here soon, but many of you will already know her as a groomer in the area for many years. I hope you all support her, and let her learn and grow just as I did. I wish Karen all the best in her new endeavour.

13/12/2024

Huge garage sale. Saturday 14 December at 7 am. 120 Robert Street in the town centre across from Allkars. Contact Christophe on 021569565 for enquiries. Second hand household goods, appliances and more. Everything has to go. Come and make an offer. Also stock sale of brand new quality dog gear such as Ruffwear harnesses, Blackdog long leads (3m, 5m, 10m) and treat pouches, Kongs and more at 50 % off - that‘s below cost as my markups were minimal.

14/11/2024

Great way to deliver rewards if you have a small dog, puppy, or if you have a bad back. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19QJXdjwNS/?mibextid=UalRPS

12/07/2024

♥️ Penny ♥️ Sweet, smart and confident young girl.

10/07/2024

Given the statements that we see so often from those using aversive or 'balanced' training methods, those of us who use a force free approach need to clear up some of the issues with what is said.

As well as the red flags so often seen of 'positive only' or 'purely positive', these statements will usually trot out the old misunderstanding that all we do is toss cheese at a dog when they do something right and ignore everything else. This is absolutely untrue and does not reflect the force free approach at all.

Successful force free training involves SO much more than that.

• It needs a deep understanding of learning theory.
• What the dog's welfare needs are and how to make sure they are met.
• The potential impact of health on behaviour.
• The emotional states that underly behaviours.
• How to manage situations so that the dogs don't carry out the undesired behaviours and perhaps get an internal reward for doing them.
• How to train other behaviours the dog can do in that situation that will be rewarded so that the undesirable behaviour is no longer the best choice for them in that situation.
• When training isn’t the right answer at all.

The factors involved in getting the force free approach and training right are far too many for me to list in this post or on this image, but these are the things that a good force free trainer or behaviour professional is doing every time they are working with a dog and their humans.

It's so much more than just lobbing food at a dog.

01/06/2024

“Hi, I’m Freya, and I’m ready to go to work.” Being a Blue Heeler x Border Collie, she is super-smart and eager to learn.

31/05/2024

Tommy - in typical Staffy fashion, he is full of beans and life is fun and games. Another great little boy from Bluejigg Kennel Staffordshire Bull Terriers New Zealand.

31/05/2024

Happy Tails assistant Yogi is filling in as a play buddy for puppy Otis, who is a little older and larger than the other puppies in class, as better match for his energetic play style. It’s very important that all puppies in class have a positive and safe experience when interacting with other puppies. Yogi is showing Otis exaggerated ‘Play Bows’ to show him that he is no threat and really wants to play.

30/05/2024

Suzie graduated from puppy class. She is a Border Collie x German Shorthaired Pointer. She's now 22 weeks old, very smart, eager to learn with great focus on her handler. She is looking for her forever home where she can flourish and live to her true potential. Message me if you're interested in adopting her and I will put you on to her current owner/foster.

30/05/2024

Puppy class is back in full swing. The super-cute Jasper graduated last week. How could anyone ever say 'No' to those sweet puppy eyes..

16/05/2024

I’m having a short break from taking on any Training and Behaviour clients as I’m recovering from major surgery I had last week. My puppy class is continuing on 22 May as usual. I hope I can see clients face to face again in about 6 weeks and I may be able to assist via Zoom sooner.

09/04/2024

A bit like my boy Yogi....Who else can relate to that?

21/03/2024

Training tip in a nutshell: Dogs are not great at generalising. Your dog needs to practice the new skills learned in a dog training class in many different environments and contexts before being able to perform the skills well outside the classroom.

😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂

17/03/2024

Otis with his happy dance when it’s time for puppy class play time

05/03/2024

Next course: Introduction to Nosework - Odour
4 weeks. Dogs learn to recognise, discriminate, and search for a target odour (Clove Bud oil) and have fun searching. Plenty of personalised attention and support.

Date: Saturdays 16 March - 13 April 2024 with a break on Saturday 30 April for Easter

Time: 11:30 am to about 12:45 pm

Location: Indoor training facility at 120 Robert Street, Whangarei

Cost: $180 per person - includes a complete odour starter kit

Bookings: Online. Essential (small groups) Max 4-5 dogs

Requirements:

Dogs must be comfortable and not reactive to other dogs and humans when working/learning in close proximity. (Reactive dogs would need to be accommodated by individual arrangement or in a different course).

All dogs entering the training facility must be up to date with vaccinationsWhatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.